The Allahabad high court on Thursday dismissed the writ petition filed by 88 policemen who were transferred following the killing of deputy superintendent of police Zia-ul-Haque in Kunda, Pratapgarh.

The policemen had alleged that nine policemen, who were close to former minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, had not been shifted whereas other 111 police personnel were transferred from Kunda.

In his order, justice V K Shukla said there was “no evidence to show that the transfers were illegal or effected with malice”. The petition was filed by constable Bajrang Bahadur Singh and 87 other policemen.

Raghuraj Pratap Singh, independent MLA from Kunda, was made a party in the writ petition. The slain deputy SP’s wife Parveen Azad had named him and others in connection with her husband’s murder.

Haque was killed on March 2 at Balipur village where he had gone after the murder of a village pradhan, Nanhe Yadav.

On April 3, the state government had transferred the entire staff of four police stations of Kunda sub division on CBI’s request, which apprehended that “some policemen were close to influential people and could affect the probe”.

The court, however, added that those policemen who felt inconvenienced at their current places of posting could approach the inspector general of police (establishment) and the DGP Headquarters and their representations will be decided “within two months”. The state government had opposed the petitions on the ground that the transfer order was passed on the basis of a “recommendation from the CBI” which is investigating the matter and that “no stigma” was attached to any of the transferred police personnel.